Are Gosnell's Coldblooded Acts a Logical Result?

Where did actions such as those taken by abortionist Kermit Gosnell begin? Is there a logical explanation for practices that reflect such a callous disregard for human life?

According to Bishop James Conley, of the diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, the philosophy of “choice” is the culprit. His recent column has exposed a pivotal piece of the puzzle that clarifies the background for the brutality imposed on babies and their mothers by Gosnell and his ilk.

Kermit Gosnell looked at these “unwanted” lives, and saw burdens placed upon women. He was more ruthless than most, in his efforts to eliminate these living “burdens.”

Most people do not share Gosnell’s ruthlessness. But many in our society seem to share his attitude: that human life is sometimes an inconvenient and unnecessary burden, rather than a sacred gift from God. . . .

The Gosnell case suggests that our society’s view of human life is deeply wrong. It suggests that a culture of contraception cannot avoid becoming a “culture of death”—in which some lives are seen not as gifts, but as burdens.

While most would bristle at the idea that in these few words there resides a kernel of truth, it is time that we honestly evaluate the cultural attitude that laid the groundwork for Gosnell’s miserable behavior. After all, he is not the first abortionist to kill babies born alive as the result of such practices.

What is it about a baby that has so divided our nation? It is the stark difference between those who want to control their sexual urges and those who do not.

Marriages began to dissolve, children began learning all about sex before they knew how to add or read, and teens as young as fifteen can now walk into a drug store and buy a powerful chemical that may end a preborn baby’s life prior to implantation—a drug that might also cause a stroke, a blood clot, or death.

Upon learning of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of over-the-counter status for the abortive morning-after pill, political strategist Gary Bauer opined that Obama had become the “wingman” for fifteen-year-old boys!

Indeed, we have devolved from that first marketing campaign for the pill to the point today where we are, as a society, a group of human beings who for the most part put sex at the forefront of our daily routine. Just think about it. What is “emergency” contraception? What is the emergency if not the possibility of a baby? These pills are a chemical quick fix ensuring that no baby grows in the womb of the willing female sex partner, pure and simple.

It is into this disturbing scenario that abortion arrives as the ultimate answer should, God forbid, a pregnancy actually occur. None other than the Supreme Court has said that for a woman not to have the ability to acquire abortion is for her to confront an “undue burden.”

Or, to put it another way, motherhood is an option if the expectant mother chooses it. If not, killing the baby is her prerogative.

Enter Kermit Gosnell, the man who can eradicate the “burden” at the last minute, even if he has to use scissors or crush a skull!

Yes indeed, Gosnell and his coldblooded acts are a result; they are not the cause.